From Cambridge Bay to the "parking lot" |
From Cambridge Bay to the "parking lot" |
Oct 25 2010, 03:02 PM
Post
#421
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 399 Joined: 28-August 07 From: San Francisco Member No.: 3511 |
-------------------- 'She drove until the wheels fell off...'
|
|
|
Oct 25 2010, 03:41 PM
Post
#422
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4247 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
There was more to this than just Maxwell's comment that had me thinking there was something special here. In the latest Planetary update, there were several statements that stops would be very infrequent enroute to Endeavour. For example:
QUOTE ...the science team settled on a generalized agenda that limits the science stops from here on -- unless, of course, something really intriguing changes the scientists’ minds. “The general plan is to make a beeline to Endeavour,” said Arvidson, “because we just don’t know how long Opportunity will live.” QUOTE “We’re not going to stop and take any other meteorite measurements for another 3000 meters,” said Arvidson. Furthermore, the plan calls for the rover to stop only two or three more times to sample bedrock and once or twice for soil samples for the ongoing Victoria-to-Endeavour surface study. QUOTE That’s the long-term “baseline” plan, said Arvidson. “These are the guidelines that help shape the team strategy and objectives from here on, but all this goes out the window if there’s something really exciting that we see,” he underscored. So with the official plan for only two or three bedrock stops until Endeavour, I was surprized to see one so soon and suspected something might be up. Maxwell's comment reinforced that. Of course, it may just be that this is the first of the two or three planned regular stops. Or, the official plan could've changed, and they may be planning more regular bedrock stops than just a few now. Or maybe there was some other reason that this was a convenient time to have the rover stationary? |
|
|
Oct 25 2010, 03:56 PM
Post
#423
|
|
Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14432 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
|
|
|
Oct 25 2010, 04:26 PM
Post
#424
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2998 Joined: 30-October 04 Member No.: 105 |
As I mentioned in my earlier post, this is simply a routine stop along the traverse to get that holy grail of stratigraphy, the elusive correlation between Z and X & Y. Nothing profound or earthshaking, Scott Maxwell simply mentioned that we saw something interesting and we're gonna stop, nothing more or nothing less.
--Bill -------------------- |
|
|
Oct 25 2010, 09:41 PM
Post
#425
|
|
The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
Just to be a little bit different - a more artistic, Ansell Adams-style view of the rocks Oppy is currently studying...
http://twitpic.com/30uo0p/full -------------------- |
|
|
Oct 25 2010, 10:50 PM
Post
#426
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 813 Joined: 8-February 04 From: Arabia Terra Member No.: 12 |
'Shiny thing' or not, the pancam site is back up. Here's 2401
QUOTE Sol Seq.Ver ETH ESF EDN EFF ERP Tot Description ----- -------- --- --- --- --- --- ---- ----------- 02401 p0026.01 0 0 0 0 0 0 mer_b_sunfind_parms_left_eye_modified_exp 02401 p0653.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 navcam_3x1_az_90_3_bpp 02401 p1154.01 0 0 0 0 0 0 front_hazcam_idd_unstow_doc 02401 p1165.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 flhaz_IDD_check_subframe_2bpp_pri_41 02401 p1205.08 0 0 0 0 0 0 front_haz_penultimate_0.5_bpp_pri17 02401 p1211.03 0 0 0 0 0 0 ultimate_front_haz_1_bpp_pri_15 02401 p1254.02 0 0 0 0 0 0 front_haz_fault_pri15_4bpp 02401 p1301.06 0 0 0 0 0 0 rear_haz_penultimate_1bpp_pri17 02401 p1312.07 0 0 0 0 0 0 rear_haz_ultimate_2_bpp_pri15 02401 p1354.01 0 0 0 0 0 0 rear_haz_fault_pri15_4bpp 02401 p2601.05 0 0 0 0 0 0 pancam_tau_L78R48 02401 Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 |
|
|
Oct 26 2010, 09:25 AM
Post
#427
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 648 Joined: 9-May 05 From: Subotica Member No.: 384 |
'Shiny thing' or not, the pancam site is back up. Here's 2401 It's ~120 meters driven today! -------------------- The scientist does not study nature because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it, and he delights in it because it is beautiful.
Jules H. Poincare My "Astrophotos" gallery on flickr... |
|
|
Oct 26 2010, 02:17 PM
Post
#428
|
|
Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10170 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
Wow, scarcely a ripple in sight! (assuming this is end-of-drive)
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...00P0653R0M1.JPG Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke Maps for download (free PD: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Cartography.pdf NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
|
|
Oct 26 2010, 02:50 PM
Post
#429
|
||
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4247 Joined: 17-January 05 Member No.: 152 |
If you look at a map showing our previous location:
you can see that we were sitting right on a boundary (contact?) between lighter and darker bedrock areas. If I've got my orientations right, that boundary runs right through these navcam views, diagonally from upper left to lower right: http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...0M1.JPG?sol2397 http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...0M1.JPG?sol2397 Generally, the brighter region (below in the navcams) has smoother, flatter bedrock, and the darker region (above) is rougher. This is a nice example of how the "ground truth" clarifies things. Those navcams show the Punta Arenas area. |
|
|
||
Oct 26 2010, 05:19 PM
Post
#430
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 194 Joined: 3-January 10 Member No.: 5156 |
I cannot see anything here:
http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/opportuni...V1F0006L0M1.JPG Is that I new kind of compression or some picture errors? Usually the unfinished pictures look a little different. -------------------- Need more input ...
|
|
|
Oct 26 2010, 10:03 PM
Post
#431
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 107 Joined: 29-January 09 Member No.: 4589 |
-------------------- Protein structures and Mars fun - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nick960/
|
|
|
Oct 27 2010, 05:59 AM
Post
#432
|
|
Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 4279 Joined: 19-April 05 From: .br at .es Member No.: 253 |
Just checked today's imaging sequences to confirm that it's another driving sol.
02402::p0683::03::6::0::0::6::0::12::navcam_3x1_az_144_3_bpp 02402::p1205::08::2::0::0::2::0::4::front_haz_penultimate_0.5_bpp_pri17 02402::p1211::03::2::0::0::2::0::4::ultimate_front_haz_1_bpp_pri_15 02402::p1301::06::2::0::0::2::0::4::rear_haz_penultimate_1bpp_pri17 02402::p1312::07::2::0::0::2::0::4::rear_haz_ultimate_2_bpp_pri15 But check that azimuth on the "post-drive" navcam mosaic: 144 degrees, that's SE. It's time to drive direct to Santa Maria! Nitpicking on another topic: Punta Arenas vs. Puntarenas. I realized that the our previous site is actually named after the place "Puntarenas" in Costa Rica and not "Punta Arenas" in Chile. There were a few other imaging targets shot during last sols and all of them were identified with places in Costa Rica. |
|
|
Oct 27 2010, 07:49 AM
Post
#433
|
|||
The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
Bit of clickety-click on Google Mars suggests we'll now be heading for this 'corridor' (which isn't really a corridor of course, but it looks like one, so just go with me on this, ok? )
And it looks like we're now just about under 2k from Santa Maria! Interesting - and exciting! - to see how the terrain ahead of Oppy from now on, if she takes this course, will change from ripply to flatter and better... http://twitpic.com/318pk1/full -------------------- |
||
|
|||
Oct 27 2010, 09:13 AM
Post
#434
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 813 Joined: 8-February 04 From: Arabia Terra Member No.: 12 |
|
|
|
Oct 27 2010, 12:22 PM
Post
#435
|
||
The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
Some thoughts on the road ahead (posting a link 'cos the post itself is full of pics, too many to post here)...
http://roadtoendeavour.wordpress.com/2010/.../the-road-ahead And just as a taster for what's ahead at Santa Maria, here's a pic showing Oppy arriving at the crater rim, shown to scale... -------------------- |
|
|
||
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 28th May 2024 - 04:50 AM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |